Patience is a Virtue?

Dear everyone,

So first, it was great to get to talk to you yesterday and even though you guys couldn't see me [on Skype, he looked like a painting—most of the time like a Monet, but occasionally like a Picasso] l, I could see all of you pretty well...as long as the call didn't drop out. [which it did several times] I could even see Justin and every once in a while I saw Tori's head pop into the picture [they were on the iPad, sitting on a pile of couch cushions].  I hope you were able to hear at least part of one of my goodbyes because the internet and the phone kept dropping out and I couldn't tell if I actually got through to you or if you could hear me...So, if not, goodbye and I love you guys.  It was however, very strange to actually speak English.  Usually here, if I'm speaking English it's a phrase or very Spanglishy so I'm sure you noticed a phrase or 2 in Spanish even though I don't know that I recognized it.  Has my voice changed at all? I hope I don' sound like Pedro like Justin did when we talked to him on his mission.  But yeah, anyways it was good to get to talk.

So yeah, things with Elder Bravo are awesome.  We walk everywhere which will help me a lot because taking motos everywhere was getting a little boring.  He's awesome and we're working hard.  This will help me to lose weight like I'm supposed to in South America.  Even though the members feed us a couple pounds of rice and a couple of chickens at lunch.  But things are going really well here right now, although I'm still trying to get the whole District Leader thing figured out which is somewhat difficult with just a lot more responsibilities and things that I have to worry about, especially because I've never seen what a DL does, but I thin I've got the hang of it with the calls, interviews, permission, etc...  Definitely pushing me but it's good.  Patience is a virtue.  I actually do think I've got it down more or less though.

So we have a rule that we aren't allowed to teach any lesson without an adult male who is part of that household present which at times is difficult because the men are almost always working.  We have a little bit different problem with this other family.  Dad, mom, son (20), daughters (17, 14)--the daughters and mom go to church, read what we leave and pray.  The son is indifferent and often not there.  The dad, however, will listen but he is Catholic, he is Catholic, he is Catholic.  We have taught them a few times and he just won't do anything we invite him to do, but his wife and daughters do everything, so we're not going to stop visiting them.  On Saturday, after the baptism of Hector (That guy is awesome!! sorry I'm not telling you more about him) we went to see if we could get the dad to come to church the next day by talking to him again about the restoration and getting him to pray about it.  I don't think I've been more forward, or clear than in that lesson, ever.  I basically told him that he has to pray about this and then be willing to change to live in accordance with God's will and to forget his own will.  I used more words and scriptures and things of that sort (in Spanish of course) but I feel like that is something that has really changed in me. The ability to just be direct and bold with people.  I thought I saw a change in him that night because in his prayer he asked to be humble enough to change if he needed to.  He did not, however, come to church with his wife and daughters.  He just wouldn't come out of the house. Patience is a virtue, right?

I've also heard people say that on their mission they stop worrying about themselves and start worrying about what they want for others to do or have.  I actually see it a little bit differently.  The things that I want, that are important for me are really just the things that I want for others.  It's not that I've forgotten myself, it's that my desires have changed to be for others.  I guess that the difference is slight at best but I thought that was interesting.

Love you guys!!

Elder Peacock